Fuerteventura 3M dish

[denby]

Hi all

I live in fuerteventura half way up the island and I'm trying to receive both Setanta which is on Eurobird and BBC Scotland which is on Astra D I can get both during the day but one or the other breaks up by eight O'clock depending on which I focus on or trying to find a midpoint.

The dish is a 3M which would work in this area but the cable run is over a 100 metres long. I installed one amp, by the dish and still lost 10 percent signal. So I installed a thicker cable, a Spanish spec which uses different terms than our normal RG cable but the next step up would cost me 90 euros just for each connector never mind the cost of that cable itself. So I installed a second amp half way along and got a full signal but also drastically reduced the S/N ratio so I left the center one on and found an improvement over the one near the dish but still not enough.

The lnb is an invacom quad with feedhorn, the box itself is irrelevant as the signal just isn't strong enough. I've read about the LC1000 which it advertises as the most powerful LNB in the world, has anybody tried these or any alternatives.

I'm now considering adding petals round the dish to increase it's size and adjust the LNB accordingly has anyone ever tried this home brew option.

Setting the dish is like tuning a steel drum and as good as I can get it has anyone any ideas?

 

[denby]

I edited that post but it didn't seem to come up. I just wanted to add that I'm aware of the alternatives such as Inverto and the like but despite the bad reviews of Korean and Chinese etc has anyone found any success with any of them?

 

[trigger]

A few of questions
a) What type/make of dish is it?
If you ignore the cable run do you think you are getting sufficient signal anyway? i.e is the signal at the dish strong enough if the receiver was at the dish.
c)Why Setanta? Stupid question I know but by having a Setanta Ireland card even though you cant receive Setanta Ireland you do get Setanta sports Ireland 1 and 2 which will give you saturday football etc.
d) Is this for a bar or private residence?

Cheers
Triggs

 

[selfsat]

Hi all

I live in fuerteventura half way up the island and I'm trying to receive both Setanta which is on Eurobird and BBC Scotland which is on Astra D I can get both during the day but one or the other breaks up by eight O'clock depending on which I focus on or trying to find a midpoint.

The dish is a 3M which would work in this area but the cable run is over a 100 metres long. I installed one amp, by the dish and still lost 10 percent signal. So I installed a thicker cable, a Spanish spec which uses different terms than our normal RG cable but the next step up would cost me 90 euros just for each connector never mind the cost of that cable itself. So I installed a second amp half way along and got a full signal but also drastically reduced the S/N ratio so I left the center one on and found an improvement over the one near the dish but still not enough.

The lnb is an invacom quad with feedhorn, the box itself is irrelevant as the signal just isn't strong enough. I've read about the LC1000 which it advertises as the most powerful LNB in the world, has anybody tried these or any alternatives.

I'm now considering adding petals round the dish to increase it's size and adjust the LNB accordingly has anyone ever tried this home brew option.

Setting the dish is like tuning a steel drum and as good as I can get it has anyone any ideas?

Hello.
I think the box is very important. You must have a Receiver with a sensible tuner. For example the furguson (FTA) opens channels with signal of only 10%.
The appropriate skew of the LNB maximizes the gain of the dish.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Welcome aboard.

You can only get the best out of a large dish by using a good installation method, ensuring the stresses on the reflector are minimised until the main lift into position.

Is the 3m on its own a single piece, or is it petalised ?

What material is the dish made from ?

Stringing the dish is a good way of making the shape able to reflect the best signal into the feed.


Is the feedhorn matched to the dish ?

Good measurements are necessary to get the maximum signal into the feed, have you tried calculating the feed distance ?

The 'home brew' extender panels will do very little to help, unless the main dish is already performing at its best.

Photos would be appreciated.

 

[denby]

Hello.
I think the box is very important. You must have a Receiver with a sensible tuner. For example the furguson (FTA) opens channels with signal of only 10%.
The appropriate skew of the LNB maximizes the gain of the dish.

Thanks for the relpies btw.

The box would be important but I can't get both channels locked at all at night at the same time so I have to work at the dish end first.

 

[denby]

A few of questions
a) What type/make of dish is it?
If you ignore the cable run do you think you are getting sufficient signal anyway? i.e is the signal at the dish strong enough if the receiver was at the dish.
c)Why Setanta? Stupid question I know but by having a Setanta Ireland card even though you cant receive Setanta Ireland you do get Setanta sports Ireland 1 and 2 which will give you saturday football etc.
d) Is this for a bar or private residence?

Cheers
Triggs

The dish is a prime focus, I'm not sure which but it has a solid center with petals half way out with the LNB arms linked to the center bowl. It has one main thick support at the back from top to bottom and a large ring of thick tubing behind the center bowl linked also to the main support.

The signal just isn't strong enough.

It's for a friends bar and he does have a Setanta card.

 

[denby]

Welcome aboard.

You can only get the best out of a large dish by using a good installation method, ensuring the stresses on the reflector are minimised until the main lift into position.

Is the 3m on its own a single piece, or is it petalised ?

What material is the dish made from ?

Stringing the dish is a good way of making the shape able to reflect the best signal into the feed.


Is the feedhorn matched to the dish ?

Good measurements are necessary to get the maximum signal into the feed, have you tried calculating the feed distance ?

The 'home brew' extender panels will do very little to help, unless the main dish is already performing at its best.

Photos would be appreciated.

I searched for a photo but couldn't find one, next time I'm on the roof I'll try and get a camera.

Firstly if I can say I have worked for SKY, Granada and a large private contractor fitting both analogue and digital aerial/satellite installations and would often have went over others work when they had problems so I am well experienced in these problems though I have to say I rarely did commercial installs or servicing though there is little difference as it is only running one line to one box.

I've never had to calculate distances before and if that was ever required it would've been done by the head engineer. One calculation I've seen is F equals the dish squared, F being the feedhorn, that can't be right, though if I do decide to extend the dish I'll have to calculate the distance anyway.

The dish as above is a steel solid center halfway with the rest petalised and the LNB skewed as best as I can get it. I asked the engineer that fitted the LNB if it was matching, he said it was but considering I got a call from the owner as he'd somehow managed to knock out all seven TV signals inside, I'm not too confident in his ability. Especially when I just ripped out all the wiring inside and saved a couple of wires in the process. One concern I have, though I've no experience with this LNB or dish, is it sits right back in it's holder for best signal. Surely if it was well matched it would ideally sit halfway for some leeway?

I've tuned the dish itself like a steel drum and the slightest touch on the LNB or the dish surface drops the signal, I've also fine tuned it by the guy wires. I can't get an ounce more signal at the dish.

A bigger dish is unrealistic as he has already spent a fortune on the dish itself and engineers, last time I set the dish both worked till around 9PM, the same engineer suggested a more powerful amp and reset it, it then began to break up at 7 and he charged another 100 euros for the pleasure. I've since replaced it with my my amp so we're back to square one.

I've seen home made dishes even LNBs before so I'm thinking why not. I've heard that other engineers here recommend 3.5M some even 3.8M so I reckon if I extend it by a foot all round it should be enough though I'm aware I'll lose a fraction by overlapping the petals slightly armadillo style and bolting them together for strength as the slight overlap section would'nt be focused on the LNB.

I can't think what else to add but thanks again for the replies I've got from everyone, I've tried elsewhere but haven't got as much response.

 

[denby]

Just wanted to add, not that it makes any difference, I checked today and the dish is actually mostly solid with about a foot of petals around it.

 

[trigger]

Its a Famaval / Tecatel 2.4 (3.1M with petals)

String the dish with fishing wire to see if it is bent. Wires should just touch each other without pressing down.

I don´t think you will get 2D and S1 together with this dish.
In Lanzarote a 3.1M aligned to S1 will not work 24/7. Bookies use them for Racing Uk and as long as works to 5pm they don´t mind.
A 3.1 aligned to 2d here should give 24/7

Football that is on Setanta Ireland is also carried on Setanta sports 1 on an Irish card.

Look on previous posts on this site about Cyprus as they are using a bigger feedhorn on this dish with better results. I have not ordered one yet but keep meaning to.

Good Luck
Triggs

Is this Piero´s Bar??????

 

[teide_ian]

I have the same size dish and am in the Canaries, i find the problem the same you lose BBC etc around 9pm- 10pm for me.
What i do find is it seems only to be a problem in the winter months i have my dish setup on 2D and eurobird for Racing UK, the racing is breaking up terrible but come next month my BBC and Racing will work perfect right the way through till about October.
I find because you can get the winds here in the Winter it is always knocking the dish out slightly so you dont get a good signal.
But come next month when the winds go i will put the dish back in position and that will be it for 6 months or so, i find one day the channels terrible the next day fine for ages as i say.

 

[denby]

Its a Famaval / Tecatel 2.4 (3.1M with petals)

*Thanks I'll check if they recommend any particular LNB/feedhorn.



String the dish with fishing wire to see if it is bent. Wires should just touch each other without pressing down.

*Hadn't time today to do that will get to it and let you know.

I don´t think you will get 2D and S1 together with this dish.
In Lanzarote a 3.1M aligned to S1 will not work 24/7. Bookies use them for Racing Uk and as long as works to 5pm they don´t mind.
A 3.1 aligned to 2d here should give 24/7

*I can get both till 8PM but one or the other won't lock on the meter, a Horizon HDSM, so exceptional fine tuning without the quality rate is difficult. I borrowed this meter as I'm an guitarist/entertainer now and haven't used this model before but just reading the manual online it says you turn off the found sat setting which might make life easier.

Football that is on Setanta Ireland is also carried on Setanta sports 1 on an Irish card.

*True though Setanta Ireland also has extra matches that the sports one doesn't.


Look on previous posts on this site about Cyprus as they are using a bigger feedhorn on this dish with better results. I have not ordered one yet but keep meaning to.

*Interesting the comments on here about the DB figures and I've ordered another with a 0.2 rating just to try it. With the Invacom previously reading 185 on the meter I just tested the new Inverto single in my hand and it read a whopping 189, the best improvement in anything I've done but when I fitted it the signal was less so the distance must be different for this LNB. Experimentation might prove successful, I may have to make an extention for the holder. Still surprising though since the Invacom gets most of the credit and the Inverto is tiny compared to it and far cheaper. Though again according to tests I've seen on this site the Invacom excells in weak nightime reception but if I can get Eurobird strong enough I can focus away to Astra 2D.

I also today recieved a secondhand Panasonic recommended for fringe areas and sure enough the quality signal has improved though the main signal level had dropped but if I can get the quality better it might make it's way through the second amp which I tried.

Good Luck
Triggs

Is this Piero´s Bar??????

*Thanks it's the Flower of Scotland which is why he needs the Setanta Ireland and not so much the sports one as they cover Celtic/Rangers matches more often.

I think I might have met you next door in the Portugues, if you normally use that nick, do you know Adam from UK satellites here?

 

[denby]

Its a Famaval / Tecatel 2.4 (3.1M with petals)

String the dish with fishing wire to see if it is bent. Wires should just touch each other without pressing down.

I don´t think you will get 2D and S1 together with this dish.
In Lanzarote a 3.1M aligned to S1 will not work 24/7. Bookies use them for Racing Uk and as long as works to 5pm they don´t mind.
A 3.1 aligned to 2d here should give 24/7

Football that is on Setanta Ireland is also carried on Setanta sports 1 on an Irish card.

Look on previous posts on this site about Cyprus as they are using a bigger feedhorn on this dish with better results. I have not ordered one yet but keep meaning to.

Good Luck
Triggs

Is this Piero´s Bar??????

I have the same size dish and am in the Canaries, i find the problem the same you lose BBC etc around 9pm- 10pm for me.
What i do find is it seems only to be a problem in the winter months i have my dish setup on 2D and eurobird for Racing UK, the racing is breaking up terrible but come next month my BBC and Racing will work perfect right the way through till about October.
I find because you can get the winds here in the Winter it is always knocking the dish out slightly so you dont get a good signal.
But come next month when the winds go i will put the dish back in position and that will be it for 6 months or so, i find one day the channels terrible the next day fine for ages as i say.

Interesting you should say that the first time I ever set this dish I had perfect pictures till 10PM but now can't get any better than 8PM possibly the brighter nights and battery power on the satellite itself.

I'm glad to read your replies at least I can tell him others experience as he thinks somethings not being done right whereas I've tried to explain to him that the dish is ideally smaller than required.

Thanks again.

 

[teide_ian]

Just so you can give feed back i have someone who fixes my dish several times a week as it is my mate and will jump on roof anytime it is out.
But i have no chance of receiving BBC etc after 10pm if the weather is not perfect and have been trying for over 3 yrs this includes getting Setanta, Racing UK etc on eurobird.
Why does he need it after 10pm anyway is it for his own watching as understandable or just for the bar?
If you tell me what channels or what he is trying to show at the bar i could probably tell you an easier option.
As other posts say i only bother with those channels before say 8pm.

 

[teide_ian]

Just read previous posts again to help you i pretty know what you can and cant get in the canarias channels wise. I dont know ins and outs about dishes only what size you need. But if he wants for example footie 3pms i know what pavkages he can receive etc.
Probably would sound dissapointing to him but if it is the footie he wants you dont need a huge dish for it if you know what sats there on.
If this is the case send back what he is after and we can tell you best cards etc.
I live in Tenerife by the way so dont know what bar your talking.

 

[denby]

Thanks for your help but he has everything else on other satellite packages such as show time the only ones he can't get elsewhere, apart from the net and even then it's not reliable enough to advertise it with certainty, is Setanta Ireland and BBC Scotland at the same time.

He has a game this week on BBC which starts at 8PM which is why the time is important. After working at it yesterday it has stayed without breakup until about 11PM though I have just focused on Astra 2D to be safe for this week, it will have to be reset for the next Setanta match.

 

[trigger]

He has a game this week on BBC which starts at 8PM which is why the time is important. After working at it yesterday it has stayed without breakup until about 11PM though I have just focused on Astra 2D to be safe for this week, it will have to be reset for the next Setanta match.

If you have a Setanta Ireland card it shows football etc on both Setanta Ireland and Setanta Sports 1 (Ireland). Both Channels will be showing the 3pm game.
Setanta Ireland is on the S1 Eurobird beam
Setanta Sports 1 (Ireland) is on the Fixed beam and you should pick this up with the dish aligned to 2D.

Apart from this try the Rangers and Celtic websites. They both provide live feeds for non UK residents and only cost a few pounds a game. Quality can be very poor at times but at least can see the games.

Hope this Helps

No not me your thinking of I´m based in Lanzarote

 

[enoc]

Denby.

the focal distance must to be exactly 93 centimeters...... check it, the skew is very important

 

[denby]

If you have a Setanta Ireland card it shows football etc on both Setanta Ireland and Setanta Sports 1 (Ireland). Both Channels will be showing the 3pm game.
Setanta Ireland is on the S1 Eurobird beam
Setanta Sports 1 (Ireland) is on the Fixed beam and you should pick this up with the dish aligned to 2D.

Apart from this try the Rangers and Celtic websites. They both provide live feeds for non UK residents and only cost a few pounds a game. Quality can be very poor at times but at least can see the games.

*With Rangers yes and I have got the odd game for him on their site, Celtic isn't so straight forward if you're paying by a UK credit card.

Luckily Goal tv carries more Celtic games than Rangers and it's free through p2p.


Hope this Helps

No not me your thinking of I´m based in Lanzarote

*Ok though the guy I had met I think was also from Lanzarote.

Thanks again

 

[denby]

Denby.

the focal distance must to be exactly 93 centimeters...... check it, the skew is very important

*I've checked the size of the dish and it turns out Trigger is right and it's actually a 3.1. If I added a foot all round what would the distance be then? Do you have the calculations?

I've more or less given up with this size of dish as since I've last worked with it I've got BBC all night with no break up in fine weather, though without Setanta, a larger dish is the only solution.

I can't skew the LNB any better than I have and the movement is fractional but does make a huge difference to quality.

Thanks again